


Nightmare of the Soul

by orphan_account



Category: Alien (1979), Alien Series, Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Body Horror, Dysfunctional Relationships, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Space Marines, Survival Horror, Xenomorphs (Alien)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-10-25 07:50:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20720714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A simple investigation on a partially-decommissioned space station. That's their first mission in deep space. But it couldn't have come at a worse time. All Renji wants is to get out of this dysfunctional unit, and the fact that he's received this mission before his unit is to be dissolved just makes things worse.But that becomes the least of his problems when they arrive at the station and witness the horrific, bloody death of one of the station's inhabitants, as well as the birth of an alien creature. And from there, things only continue to go downhill as their numbers drastically decrease.With only a few survivors left, limited ammo and weaponry, only twenty-four hours to reach their ship, and a dangerous creature hunting them down, Renji is pushed to his very limits as he struggles to keep everyone alive and find a way to escape this living nightmare.Because in space, no one can hear you scream.Prequel to "Bug Hunt".





	1. Dysfunction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renji wakes up from cryo and goes through the motions of dealing with his dysfunctional unit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the first prequel instalment, "Nightmare of the Soul". In terms of story, this one will be mostly following Ridley Scott's _Alien_, albeit with a more militaristic tone to it.
> 
> I also made a few changes to the other stories, such as the month when Renji's unit is sent to Iwashiro (it was originally October, but I changed it to February, since I realized my math was way off), as well as some of the previously mentioned members of his old unit. This story is going to be much more focused on horror, and I do look forward to writing it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_ March, 2175. _

The first thing that Renji sees upon opening his eyes are the bright lights of the cryosleep chamber shining down on him. Squinting slightly, he slowly sits up in his pod, rubbing the back of his neck as he tries to get the blood flowing. A shiver runs through his body, and Renji can practically feel the goosebumps on his arms.

To think that he’s already been asleep for three weeks… it feels like he only closed his eyes for a couple of hours, honestly.

Right then, he hears the grumbling and mutters of his squadmates as they wake up from cryosleep and climb out of their pods.

“Fucking hell… can’t believe how uncomfortable these things are…” Private Kotsubaki Sentaro mutters under his breath. “Like bootcamp all over again.”

“Yeah… and you’re just as much of a douchecanoe. So it’s not really different,” Private Kotetsu Kiyone snarks at him.

“The fuck you just say?” Kotsubaki snaps his head towards her.

“You heard me, jackass. Unless you’re gettin’ deaf over there.”

Renji sighs quietly as he climbs out of his pod. Those two have barely been awake for an hour and they’re already bickering.

_ Would it kill you two to just… not bicker for once in your fucking lives? _ He thinks to himself.

From the corner of his eye, Renji sees Sergeant Amagai Shusuke climbing out of his pod, already looking uncomfortable at the bickering going on. The atmosphere is already tense, and Renji just takes a deep breath to try and calm himself. Gently massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, he shakes his head slightly.

It’s literally no different from an average day on base. All this tension, bickering, and dysfunction… he should’ve been used to it by now. It’s been two years since Renji arrived to this unit as a corporal, but even then, the sheer level of instability and chaos in this godforsaken unit is just so appalling.

Back when he’d become a corporal, Renji had been both nervous and excited to be leading a new unit. But now… it’s all just one big mess.

When Renji had first arrived at this unit, everything seemed fine at first. But then, they got more Marines with some deep-seated personal issues that affected their ability to get along with one another. There’s no real stability, no strong leadership from the sergeant, nothing that can guide them in the right direction. And things have only been getting worse as time goes on.

As Renji heads to his locker to get changed into his fatigues, a rough-sounding voice calls his name.

“Oi, Abarai.”

Glancing behind him, Renji sees Private First Class Shishigawara Moe, still in his boxer shorts. As always, his face has a permanent resting bitchface upon it.

“Yeah? What is it?” Renji asks.

“Do you know why the fuck we got sent out here?” he demands. “We’re supposed to be disbanded soon, right?”

Renji shakes his head. “I don’t know, unfortunately,” he says.

Shishigawara’s eyes narrow. “The fuck is that supposed to mean? You mean you don’t know _ anything?” _

“Sergeant Amagai didn’t tell me anything.”

“God, this is pathetic!” Shishigawara snaps. “What’s wrong with him?! And why the fuck didn’t _ you _ ask him ‘bout the damn mission?!”

“I tried to, but he said he’d brief us after cryo-”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Abarai!” Shishigawara snarls. “Can’t you just get a fucking pair and slap Amagai ‘til he snaps out of it?! Forget it, just sign my papers when we get back! Get me outta here! I didn’t leave home to be wasted like this!”

Renji just stands there and takes it. It’s not worth getting upset over.

Instead, he just heads to his locker and starts getting changed into his fatigues.

As he combs his hair and ties it into a side ponytail, Renji glances over at Amagai and nearly stops in disbelief when he sees him reading the Gotei Colonial Marines technical manual. He’s not doing anything to help relieve the tension in the air; hell, it’s like he hadn’t even heard Shishigawara cursing Renji out.

Shaking his head slightly, Renji finishes up with his ponytail and slams his locker shut. Now that he’s changed and ready, he heads down to the mess hall for breakfast.

This is Renji’s first time on a large starship like this. The JSS _ Kyoka Suigetsu _ is quite an impressive ship, to be honest. If he’s going into deep space ever again, he definitely doesn’t mind going into another ship like this one.

At that thought, Renji’s spirits sour again.

This is his first mission in deep space, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

There’s something very wrong with his current unit: the authority structure, the squad dynamics, there’s a problem with just about everything here. Sergeant Amagai is just not a very good sergeant either. He’s not strong and fair, he has a weak presence, and he’s just got no authority. He has a very poor understanding of his Marines, and he’ll often leave Renji in charge while rushing to his office to read from a manual. Renji’s tried many times to convince him to adopt his own style, but Amagai’s just too fucking scared of screwing up. 

As a result, many of the guys in the unit have come to really resent Amagai, and Renji in the process. And Renji understands how they feel; he’s also frustrated with everything here. But when they’re making threats against him on a regular basis, it really doesn’t help with anything at all.

On nearly every mission they’ve been on, there have been problems. Whether they’re on Earth or on Luna, something or the other goes wrong. No one knows how to trust each other, no one can get along with one another, and Renji’s lost count of how many times he’s had to pull everyone out of some pretty dangerous situations that they shouldn’t have ever been in.

And it’s not like he hasn’t tried to help everyone out. Renji’s tried so, _ so _ hard to get his squadmates to open up to him. He’s tried to be the mentor that everyone looks up to, or had looked up to in the beginning, when things had been relatively okay.

But no one’s opened up to him. At best, they ignored him, and at worst, they told him to fuck off.

After two years of this, Renji’s had enough. He wants to get out of this unit and be part of a more functional, stable unit.

And that’s where the next issue comes in. God, just thinking about makes Renji tense up again as he gets his breakfast and sits down to eat.

Renji has already submitted his transfer request, well before the higher-ups intervened to try and get the chaos under control. The unit will be disbanded soon, and Amagai is supposed to be sent to a six-week training camp to get him straightened out.

However, it’s been six months since Renji submitted his request for transfer, and he’s still gotten no news at all.

And to top it all off, their unit is assigned with a deep-space mission at what is perhaps the worst time. None of them have done a mission in deep space yet, and considering what things are like here, the last thing they need is being ordered to do a deep-space mission.

Renji’s chest feels tight, and he doesn’t even feel like eating the shitty breakfast from the processor. However, he swallows the lump in his throat and tries to take a deep breath.

Suppress, suppress… just keep those feelings bottled up. After all, he’s been doing that for two years, so he can handle it a bit more, right?

A loud clatter on the floor suddenly snaps him out of his thoughts, and Renji looks up to see Shishigawara about to square off with Private First Class Kasaki Heizo.

Whatever conversations are happening also die down.

“The fuck is your problem, Shishigawara?!” Kasaki snaps. “You made me spill my tray!”

“You’re moving too slow, jackass!” Shishigawara snaps back.

“And?! What’re you gonna do about it?! Learn to be patient, you bastard!”

“Then learn to move faster, baldy!”

Kasaki squares up to throw a punch at Shishigawara, but Renji stands up to put an end to this.

“That’s enough!” Renji orders, his voice firm. “Shishigawara, you clean up that mess and get Kasaki a new tray.”

“Oh, who are you to tell me what to do?” Shishigawara sneers.

“I’m the squad corporal, and you’re a private first class! Don’t mouth off to me like that, understood?” Renji raises his voice sharply. “Grab a mop, get your ass back here, and clean up that fucking mess _ right now!” _

Glaring at Renji, Shishigawara stomps off to get the mop and clean up the mess.

“Was there really a need to yell at him?” Amagai asks, looking up from his manual.

_ Was there really a- What?! _ Renji can’t believe what he’s hearing. Why the fuck is he getting questioned for raising his voice when Shishigawara is the one who openly threatened him and challenged his authority just a short moment ago?

Pushing his frustration down, Renji closes his eyes for a brief moment. “I did not yell at him, I just raised my voice,” he says coldly. “And if they’re going to challenge my authority and threaten me, then I think raising my voice is warranted, Sergeant.”

_ Just suppress the negative emotions… just like what you’ve been doing for two fucking years now. _

Taking a deep breath, Renji picks up his tray and disposes of it before storming out of the mess hall. If he stays in here any longer, he’s gonna end up losing his temper again.

He heads down to the dropship bay and sits down on a crate. Already feeling mentally and emotionally drained, Renji just buries his face into his hands.

For two years, he’s been trying to keep a lid on his emotions. He’s been trying to be the center of calm in this unit, and in order to do that, he’s been suppressing all his emotions and bottling them up. It’s a sharp contrast to how volatile his emotions had been when he was a kid, but Renji had thought that if he could be that center of calm, people might open up to him.

And look at how that's been going.

Renji’s stomach clenches. His emotions and frustrations have been building up in him like lava in a volcano, and he knows that it’s only a matter of time before they all come out violently.

All he can do now is just hope they can get through this mission before his emotions overload and explode. Because it’s going to get ugly. He just knows it.

* * *

Eventually, everyone comes down to the drop-bay for the briefing. Shishigawara seems to have calmed down somewhat, but Kasaki still looks quite tense.

Private First Class Toudou Izaemon just looks somewhat disdainful of everything around him, and Corporal Eishima Shinobu, their medtech, is twirling his dog tags on one finger.

Of course, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets pissed off with everything, and that someone ends up being their dropship co-pilot, Private First Class Sarugaki Hiyori.

“Can you not do that, ya jackass?!” Sarugaki snarls at Eishima.

“Do what?” Eishima responds calmly, still twirling his dog tags.

“Doin’ that thing with yer dog tags, ya idiot!” she snaps.

“So? Why’s it bothering you?”

“Everything you do bothers me!”

Amagai raises his hands. “You two… if you can quiet down, we’re about to start briefing,” he tries to announce, but their bickering drowns him out.

“Enough!” Kasaki barks, getting them to shut up.

Amagai looks somewhat relieved. “Thank you,” he says. “Now then, our mission is to… it’s an investigation mission.”

“What are we investigating?” Corporal Kajomaru Hidetomo asks.

“Iwashiro Space Station,” Amagai says. “It’s been offline for a month, so our job is to go there, do a quick investigation, bring back anything suspicious, and head back to Gateway.”

Needless to say, no one looks very thrilled.

“That’s it? They’re sending us out into space to fucking investigate a station?!” Kotsubaki demands, and he sounds pissed.

He rounds on Amagai. “We’re supposed to be disbanded, aren’t we?! Why didn’t you say no to this mission?!” he demands.

Amagai frowns at Kotsubaki. “Why don’t you shut your mouth and back off, Private? You have no right to question me like this,” he says sternly.

Renji sighs.

When Amagai fails to assert his authority, he promptly goes straight to being aggressive, which only makes things worse.

This only angers Kotsubaki even more, and he turns to Renji. “You know what?!” he snaps, getting right into Renji’s face. “I fucking quit! Just sign my papers and get me outta here! I didn’t sign up for this bullshit!”

Renji glares at Kotsubaki, trying to keep his temper. “Back the fuck outta my face, Kotsubaki Sentaro,” he orders. “Back off _ right now.” _ His voice is cold as he repeats his order.

Silence falls, and Kotsubaki backs off, looking somewhat surprised.

Renji then regards everyone coldly. “I know everyone’s not too pleased with this mission, and I’m not pleased either, alright?” he says. “But don’t you dare take it out on me. I’m in no mood for anyone’s royal bullshit, is that understood?”

Everyone stays silent.

“Now then, go and start getting the dropship and weapons ready,” Renji orders. “Come on! We don’t have all day!”

Once everyone disperses, Renji just takes a deep breath to try and calm himself down.

He’d very nearly yelled at Kotsubaki earlier, and it’s not getting any better. Renji doesn’t know how much more of this he can take, and all he can do is hope that they finish this mission quickly.

As he heads off to the arsenal, Renji wonders how much longer it will be before he snaps completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the first chapter is over.
> 
> Already you can see a sharp difference between this unit and Zaraki's unit, right? It's really no wonder why Renji wants out of here.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


	2. Abandon All Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renji and his unit arrive at Iwashiro Space Station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2. I just want to add that this story might differ from the "Lucky Star" prologue a little, but I hope everyone enjoys still.
> 
> I took some cues not just from the first _Alien_ movie, but also from _Alien: Isolation_ when writing this chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

It’s while he’s supervising Shishigawara and Kasaki with cleaning out the weapons that Renji suddenly feels it.

It’s a strange kind of premonition that settles in his gut, pooling thickly and refusing to go away. Something in him is telling him that things are about to go downhill on this mission, that something horrible is going to happen. 

Renji’s no stranger to this kind of feeling, but it’s different this time.

_ It’s no big deal. It’s probably because of everything that’s happening right now. Or breakfast is probably not agreeing with me. _

Yet the feeling doesn’t go away.

Instead, Renji decides to go and talk to Amagai up on the bridge of the ship, where he’s gone to try and make contact with the station.

As he makes his way to the bridge, Renji remembers Shishigawara and Kotsubaki’s angry outbursts at him, and he frowns.

They do have a good point, to be honest. Just why did Amagai agree to undertake this mission at such a precarious time?

Perhaps Renji might be able to get some answers from him.

When he reaches the bridge, Renji sees Amagai speaking into a mic headset.

“This is the JSS  _ Kyoka Suigetsu  _ of the Gotei Colonial Marine Corps, contacting Iwashiro Traffic Control. We’re carrying one Gotei unit, and we’d like to request permission to dock port-side immediately. Over,” Amagai says into the mic.

He then remains quiet for a few moments. Then he shakes his head, removing the headset.

“What happened?” Renji asks.

“No one’s answering,” Amagai says.

“Let me try,” Renji says, taking the headset and slipping it on.

Adjusting the frequency on it, he speaks.

“This is Corporal Abarai Renji of the Gotei Colonial Marine Corps, contacting Iwashiro Traffic Control. Can you respond? We would like to request permission to dock immediately. Over,” he says.

All he gets is static. He can’t even hear any human voice trying to speak through the static, and Renji raises an eyebrow.

Again, that dread comes back, settling much more thickly in his stomach.

He tries again, and there’s still no answer.

Is their comms system down? That could be it. However, it does little to quell the premonition within Renji.

“I also got nothing,” Renji tells him, taking off the headset.

Trying to suppress his unease, Renji then asks his question to Amagai.

“Sergeant, I want to know something,” he starts. “Why did we receive this mission? We’re supposed to be disbanded, right?”

Amagai shrugs, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t know,” he says.

Renji tries to hide his frustration. “Why didn’t you turn it down, Amagai? Have you seen how dysfunctional we are? What made you accept it?” he asks.

“Look, the higher-ups just want to see how well we work together,” Amagai explains. “And besides, I thought it would be good if we get at least a little bit of experience in deep space before the unit is dissolved.”

Renji is speechless.  _ That’s _ his reasoning for accepting the mission?

Closing his eyes briefly, he sighs. “Sarge, that’s not a good enough reason,” he tells him. “We can’t be expected to do a deep space mission if we can barely tolerate one another. What if something goes wrong on this mission? People might die, you know?”

“Yes, but you’ve been able to pull us out of those tough situations before, haven’t you?” Amagai points out.

“But I shouldn’t have to!” Renji insists, his hands clenching into fists. “Those situations happened because we can’t communicate or get along! No one should have to rely on one person in combat! What if that one person gets killed or injured? We can’t afford to make mistakes like that, people could get killed!”

“This is just an investigation, Abarai,” Amagai reassures him, trying to sound placating but only coming across as condescending. “Nothing is going to happen to us on this station, understood?”

Renji just wants to tear his own hair out and scream. Instead, he nods stiffly. “Alright, then,” he says. “We’re almost done with preparations.”

With that, he turns and walks out of the bridge, all while trying to even out his breathing and steady his heartbeat.

No matter what he says to Amagai, his concerns are almost always brushed off. That’s another thing he’s never liked about him.

A sergeant and corporal are supposed to be working together to lead a squad. The corporal is supposed to be responsible for the care and conduct of the Marines under his supervision, and act as a liaison between the unit and the sergeant. At this point, however, Renji really doesn’t feel like he’s either a liaison or a mentor, and he hates it.

He avoids all eye contact with the rest of his squadmates when he enters the drop bay, and he heads straight to the arsenal to check up on the weaponry.

Just about everything is ready, but Renji doesn’t really like how limited their weaponry is. Of course, their mission is just a simple investigation, but is it really a good idea to send a unit with such a limited amount of weapons and ammo?

Shaking his head slightly, Renji moves to check on the other ordnance. The dropship is prepped to go, and now Kajomaru is preparing the device to remotely open up the station’s dropship bay.

“Have you tried making contact with the station yet?” Kajomaru asks.

“Yeah, but we’re getting some interference,” Renji says. “I think their comms might be screwed up.”

“Well, hopefully there’s nothing to be worried about on there,” Kajomaru says lightly. “Let’s just hope it’s a downed satellite.”

“If they called us all the way out here to fix a fucking satellite, I will throw hands with someone,” Toudou grumbles from nearby.

“They’d better be paying us for doing this…” Sarugaki mutters.

“God, shut up!” Kotetsu snaps at her. “If you got paid for every time you bitched about something, you’d be a fucking millionaire.”

“Well, wouldn’t that be peachy?” Sarugaki snarks back.

A loud crash from nearby draws Renji’s attention from Kotetsu and Sarugaki’s bickering, and he rushes over to the source.

The sight before him is completely appalling.

Shishigawara and Kasaki are bickering again, which is no surprise. What’s most surprising, however, is that Kasaki is in the power loader, shouting profanities and actually threatening to throw some crates at Shishigawara, who is simply daring him to do so.

Renji is quick to intervene, and he runs over while shouting their names over their argument.

“Shishigawara! Kasaki!” he shouts, his voice stern. “What the fuck is going on here?! What the hell are you doing with the power loader?! Get the fuck outta there right now!”

By now, pretty much everyone else in the vicinity is staring at the scene before them.

Still glaring at Shishigawara, Kasaki shuts down the power loader and climbs out.

“Care to explain what the fuck just happened here?” Renji asks sharply.

“Shishigawara was being a jackass again,” Kasaki snaps.

“Well, you need to learn not to be such a fucking pussy!” Shishigawara retorts.

“Enough!” Renji barks. 

Once they fall silent, he continues. “Alright, since neither of you can act like fucking adults, I think I know what I’m gonna do when we get back,” he says. “Kasaki, you’ll be spending three weeks in the brig, and you got some fines to pay for the damage. And Shishigawara, you’ll also be getting a week in the brig, and I think I’m gonna send you off for some anger management courses before you get discharged, because you seriously need to learn how to control your fucking temper. And both of you won’t be allowed to use the power loader for a month. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Shishigawara responds coldly.

“Yes, Abarai,” Kasaki adds.

Renji nods, still regarding them sternly. “Now go get yourselves ready,” he orders, right before he heads down to his own locker in the arsenal.

Honestly, he had not been expecting that kind of a fight to happen, but damn. To think that Kasaki was actually using the power loader to throw things at Shishigawara. Renji doesn’t know what the hell happened to lead up to such a nasty fight, and to be honest, he doesn’t really want to know either.

Honestly, Renji doesn’t even know what Shishigawara’s deal is. That guy has the worst temper he’s ever seen, and how he even made it this far in the Corps, he doesn’t understand at all.

And Kasaki… he gets riled up so quickly it’s insane.

Renji shakes his head bitterly. Like he’s one to talk. Back when he was just a kid in Inuzuri, he’d also been quick to rile up.

But Shishigawara and Kasaki both need some serious help. Right now, putting those two together in one place is just asking for trouble, and Renji can only hope that they don’t kill each other on this mission.

Strapping his armour on, Renji glances down and notices the lack of personal decorations on, aside from the stenciled ‘LIFER’ on the back. Maybe he’ll add a few more personal touches once this mission is over. Once he finishes with putting his armour on, he puts his helmet on, takes a pulse rifle, and then heads down to the ready line.

Gradually, the others arrive, all dressed in their armour with their rifles (or smartguns, in Toudou and Kasaki’s case) in arm. Both Eishima and Toudou are carrying flamethrowers with them as well, just in case. Meanwhile, Sarugaki and Kajomaru are seated in the cockpit, getting the dropship ready for launch.

Then, Amagai comes over to the ready line, already dressed in his armour and carrying his own weapons. Once he arrives, he looks over everyone.

“Alright, looks like everyone’s ready,” he says. “Now then, let’s get into the dropship and get going.”

The dropship hatch lowers with a mechanical whir, and Renji leads everyone inside. “Combat seating, everyone,” Amagai orders.

Once all weapons have been stowed, everyone takes their place in the cargo hold. Renji sits down and straps himself in with his harness, and just tries to calm himself down as he feels the dropship lowering into the airlock of the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu. _

Kajomaru and Sarugaki confirm the crosslock and security of the drop station, and the inner hatch doors close. Shortly after that, the outer airlock doors open up, and on the count of five, the ship drops out of the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu _ before flying towards Iwashiro Space Station.

Apart from the periodic announcements over the intercom, there’s still a very tense silence in the dropship.

Renji feels a lump in his throat, and he swallows to try and get rid of it. His hands unconsciously clench into fists, his nails digging into his palms, and that’s when his skin suddenly feels itchy.

That bad feeling he’s been having since waking up… it hasn’t gone away at all. It’s only gotten stronger, and Renji is not liking it at all.

_ Deep breaths… just breathe. _ He tries telling himself, but it’s no use. He just can’t calm himself down.

But why is he feeling like this? It’s probably because everything is happening all at once, and it’s too much to process.

All Renji can do is hope that it just passes over.

“So… is everyone ready for this?” Amagai asks, trying to smile at everyone.

Of course, no one answers.

“Don’t worry, everyone. We’ll be in and out in no time,” he tries to reassure them.

“Oh, shut up, will you?” Shishigawara snaps.

Renji’s eyes fly open.  _ Goddammit…  _

“You’re not helping us at all, ya know?! Stop treatin’ us like we’re kids and just shut your fucking mouth for-”

“Shishigawara!” Renji barks, cutting him off mid-tirade before glaring at him. “What did I tell you about your temper?”

Shishigawara backs off, but he directs his glare at Renji. “Why don’t you stay outta this, Abarai,” he snarls.

“You want me to add another week to your stay in the brig, Shishigawara?” Renji asks him, his voice hard. “No? Then shut the hell up.”

Sure enough, Shishigawara shuts up.

Sighing, Renji averts his eyes and shakes his head slightly. At this rate, he’s going to go insane before this mission even ends. There’s also a small pang of regret within him, but he tries to ignore it, all while praying that he somehow makes it through this mission with his sanity intact.

* * *

After what feels like forever, they finally arrive at Iwashiro Space Station. Kajomaru manages to remotely open up the airlock doors of the station, and in a few moments, they dock in the drop bay.

“Alright, we’re heading out now,” Renji says, getting up and gearing up. “Gear up and then we’re out.”

The dropship hatch lowers, and Renji gets a view of the drop bay right before he and Amagai lead everyone out. Shortly after that, Sarugaki and Kajomaru climb out of the cockpit with their weapons, and they join up with the others.

Renji’s stomach twists slightly, and that same uneasiness returns as he looks at his surroundings.

There’s an emergency light on in the drop bay, but that’s all. The rest of the area is dark, and there are several boxes lying about. No primary lights flicker on, even as they walk towards the entrance to the station proper.

Even more, no staff or personnel are waiting in the drop bay. A proper station would have dispatched security teams or staff to receive them, but no one is here.

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for a while,” Eishima observes.

“Let’s keep going,” Renji says. “We might find more people in the station.”

He and Amagai lead the others out of the drop bay, but when they enter into the adjoining corridor, the unease worsens within Renji.

Darkness smothers the whole area, with only a few dim lights helping them see. Some doors in the area are blocked either by boxes or several stacks of heavy pipes, and other doors are either jammed or have no power at all.

The air is chilly, and Renji can feel goosebumps forming on his arms. It also smells weirdly stale and musty, and it’s just so damn quiet. Apart from their footsteps, quiet breathing, and the steady beating pulse of the couple motion trackers, there’s a very heavy silence that hangs in the air.

When they enter the spaceflight terminal, that’s when Renji begins to notice graffiti on the walls.

_ Welcome to the end of the line. _

_ Help us! _

_ This life for rent. _

_ Strangers will be SHOT. _

_ Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. _

“Goddamn…” Renji murmurs. Just what kind of anarchy happened here?

The whole damn place looks like it hasn’t been used in forever. How anyone can even live in this kind of place is beyond him.

The further they go, the more it becomes clear that something happened here. Something very,  _ very  _ wrong.

“What the hell happened here anyways?” Kotsubaki mumbles.

“Whatever it was, I think we missed it,” Kajomaru says.

_ Seems like it. _

In nearly every part of the station, there’s nothing. No bodies, no signs of life, just nothing.

There’s a lot of graffiti, and even more bizarrely, Renji notices barricades that look like they’ve been destroyed. In addition, there are several doors that seem to have been pried open, but not by any crowbars.

No, those doors seem to have been torn by something or the other. Whatever it is, it’s definitely not human.

“How the fuck did they open up those doors?” Kasaki asks, staring at one of them.

“That ain’t no crowbar, for sure,” Toudou adds.

“There’s signs of struggle here and there,” Kotetsu notices. “But no bodies.”

Eishima glances up at the sign. “Maybe we should head to the medical facility?” he suggests. “We might find some answers there.”

Renji glances at Amagai, who nods. “Alright, let’s go there,” Amagai says.

“Come on,” Renji tells them, and they start to the direction towards medical.

Hopefully they’ll get some answers from the medbay.

* * *

Located above the reactor maintenance floor, the crisis treatment level of the medbay is as poorly-maintained and abandoned as the rest of the station. But it’s there that Renji’s feeling of dread worsens.

There’s no sign of any people. But what alarms Renji the most are the body bags they see here and there.

Even more, there are bloodstains on the floor and the walls, some of them so high-up, Renji wonders how they even got there.

“Abarai, heads-up,” Sarugaki says from behind.

Renji snaps out of his thoughts and looks up to see a ceiling vent. Even worse… there’s something dripping from it, and it's definitely not water.

“The fuck? Is that blood?” Shishigawara demands.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Kasaki grumbles.

“How the fuck did that even get all the way up there?” Sarugaki asks.

Renji just shivers slightly. It’s not the first time he’s seen blood, but something about it being all the way up in a vent…

It’s truly a sinister sight.

“Sarge! Abarai!” Eishima’s voice interrupts Renji’s thoughts.

Glancing in his direction, Renji notices Eishima approaching him, his face grim. “I found something you might wanna see,” he says.

“Show us,” Renji tells him.

Eishima leads him through the corridor and towards a break room.

When they enter the room, Renji looks around him only to stop in his tracks as his eyes widen slightly. Lying on the floor before him is an unconscious man.

And latched onto the man’s face is a strange, skeletal, spider-like parasite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope I managed to do a good job with creating the tension and unease here. I also just realized: this is the first time in this series that we actually get to see a Facehugger on a victim's face.
> 
> And don't worry; shit's about to get real pretty soon.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


	3. Parasite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renji and his unit encounter a man with a strange parasite on his face, but none of them realize just what they're in for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 3, when things escalate pretty quickly. I hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> Trigger warning for blood and body horror in this chapter.

A sudden shiver runs down Renji’s spine, and he feels a knot forming in his stomach as he stares at the strange, flesh-coloured parasite wrapped tightly around the man’s face.

He’s never seen anything like it before, and something about it just sets off some kind of alarm inside of him. Where the hell did this thing come from? God, just looking at it is enough for goosebumps to form on Renji’s flesh.

“What the hell is that thing?” Renji asks.

“I don’t know, Abarai,” Eishima says. “But we need to get this man to the crisis treatment ward and check-up on him, and then put him in cryo so we can take him back to Gateway.”

Renji nods. “Good idea. I’ll let Amagai know.”

As Eishima does a brief checkup on the unconscious man, Renji speaks into his headset to everyone. “This is Abarai. Eishima and I found a man in the breakroom here. There’s some kind of strange parasite on his face, and I think you all should come here and get a look for yourselves.”

_ “Copy that. We’re on our way,” _ Amagai says.

Renji disconnects his mic, and just takes a look around the breakroom to see if there’s anything to provide an explanation. But there’s nothing.

Right then, a few moments later, Amagai and the rest of the unit enter into the breakroom. 

“Did you find anything?” Renji asks them.

Amagai shakes his head. “Nothing useful,” he says.

That’s when he notices the unconscious man on the ground, and his eyes widen slightly when he sees the parasite on his face. “Good God…” he whispers. “What the hell is that?”

“I don’t know,” Renji tells him. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“What should we do now?” Sarugaki asks.

“We take this man back to the _ Kyoka Suigetsu, _ put him in cryo, and take him to Gateway,” Renji suggests. “I don’t think we should stay here any longer. Something happened here, and we missed it, luckily enough. And I really don’t want to stay here longer than we need to.”

Amagai frowns. “We need to search through the whole station before we leave,” he says.

“I’m telling you, we should save this job for a bigger, advanced unit, Sarge!” Renji insists. “We’ve searched through practically every part of this station: the spaceflight terminal, the communications hub, the residential level; we’ve searched through all those places, and there’s nothing! We should return to Gateway, submit a report, and then let them send a bigger unit to deal with this!”

“I don’t want to hear your complaints, Abarai,” Amagai orders, his voice stern. “I’m the sergeant, and everyone should listen to me. End of story.”

All Renji can do is glare at Amagai, even as Shishigawara, Kasaki, and Kotsubaki protest.

“Seriously, man?! You’re gonna keep us in this fucking shithole?!”

“There’s nothing else here, Sarge!”

_ “Enough!” _ Amagai shouts, glaring at them. “You’re all in my unit, and you _ will _ do as I say. I don’t care if you’re too sick or injured to keep on going, you will all obey my every order, understood?!”

Silence falls as everyone regards Amagai with scorn. 

Renji just glares at Amagai. He’s never felt more angry than in this moment, and if he didn’t have self-control, he’d probably have yelled back at Amagai for being so selfish.

Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest as he continues glaring at him. “And this is exactly why we always end up in some fucked-up situation on every goddamn mission,” Renji tells him coldly. 

Turning away from him, Renji looks at Kotsubaki. “Kotsubaki, I want you to do a life-detecting sweep on the station, understood?” he orders. “See if there’s anyone who can still be alive here.”

Kotsubaki just nods. “Alright,” he says.

As he heads off to find a terminal, Renji turns to Eishima. “Get that man to the medbay and try getting that thing off his face, got it?” he asks.

“You got it,” Eishima agrees.

A tense silence hangs in the air as Renji helps Eishima with carrying the man to the crisis treatment ward. As they move past Amagai, he pointedly ignores him and his attempt at speaking to him; Renji knows that if he tries saying anything, he’s going to end up losing his temper on him.

One thing he notices as he carefully maneuvers him out of the breakroom is that neither the man nor the parasite react to the movement. And again, this is completely unsettling to him.

They find an empty gurney and carefully lay the man on it, and that’s when Renji notices that the parasite’s tail is wrapped tightly around the man’s neck. At the same time, Amagai, Kotetsu, and Kajomaru enter the ward.

“How the hell is he breathing?” Renji asks.

Eishima looks thoughtful. “Seems like the parasite is feeding him oxygen, somehow,” he observes. “Let’s try getting it off here.”

Renji watches as Eishima takes a pair of pliers from his kit. Carefully, he grasps one of the parasite’s legs and pulls at it.

However, the parasite doesn’t budge. If anything, its grip seems to tighten, and its tail even constricts tightly around the man’s neck.

“You’re gonna tear his face off if you keep it up,” Renji warns.

Eishima clicks his tongue slightly. “Goddamn…” he murmurs, releasing the leg.

“This doesn’t make any sense. This parasite paralyzes the man somehow, puts him into a coma, and keeps him alive?” Renji wonders.

“Let’s kill it already,” Kotetsu insists. “We can’t leave it on him.”

“And what if it kills him as well?” Eishima asks.

“Let’s just take the chance and cut it off him,” Amagai insists.

“You’re willing to take responsibility, Sarge?” Renji asks.

“That’s right.”

With a slight shrug, Eishima puts on some surgical gloves and pulls out a scalpel. Carefully, he holds onto one of the parasite’s legs, and aligns the scalpel blade to its skin.

But the moment the blade slices through the leg, a dull yellow liquid sprays from the cut and splashes onto the floor, whereupon it starts rapidly eating a hole right through the floor, sizzling and bubbling as it does so.

Renji’s eyes widen slightly, and Eishima also stares in shock as he withdraws the half-melted scalpel.

“It’s eating right through the floor!” Kotetsu says, stunned.

“What the hell is that?” Kajomaru wonders.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before, except molecular acid,” Eishima says.

Amagai frowns. “So it’s using acid for blood?” he wonders.

“What a great defense mechanism. You don’t dare kill it,” Renji adds.

As Eishima throws away the half-melted scalpel, Kotetsu asks, “so what are we gonna do now?”.

Renji thinks for a moment. “Looks like we’ll have to wait for the parasite to fall off the guy’s face,” he says. “In the meantime, let’s just do an investigation of the medbay. I’m sure we might be able to find some things that can tell us just what the hell went down here.”

Amagai nods. “I guess that’s a good idea,” he says.

* * *

Renji knows it’s probably not a good idea to go off on his own, but he needs to just de-stress for a little bit, and be alone with his thoughts.

So he investigates the other wings of the medical facility, going through personal files and terminals to try and make sense of everything that’s happening. But just like all the other levels he’s investigated, nothing seems to make sense.

There are messages about decreasing supplies, including the issue of some doctor who sounds like an addict pawning from the dispensary, much to Renji’s confusion. There’s also some kind of quarantine going on, with systems scanning for quarantine breach every fifteen minutes. In addition, there are stories of people turning on one another out of distrust and anger.

At some point, Renji goes to the office of the head doctor to see if there’s anything that might be useful and help in piecing together what happened on the station.

But just like the other places, there is nothing that really explains a lot. Looking through the terminal, Renji notices that most of the files are corrupted, and whatever files are on the computer are too vague to understand.

Why is there a quarantine in the medical facility? Just how come they haven’t seen any other people around the station? And just how the fuck did that blood manage to get into the vents?

“What are you up to, Abarai?” Amagai’s voice interrupts his thoughts.

Renji glaces up to see Amagai entering the office, the door sliding down behind him.

“Just trying to make sense of whatever happened on this station,” Renji tells him, his voice curt. “Just going through some files on the terminal, that’s all.”

“And what have you found?”

“Nothing except for corrupted files and announcements about quarantine.”

A moment of tense silence passes, and Renji checks the clock on the office wall. The time indicates that it’s been nearly two-and-a-half hours since they found that man.

“And how’s that man doing?” he asks.

“The parasite’s still on his face, but his condition is fine, according to Eishima.”

_ God, still? _ Renji thinks. Out loud, he doesn’t say anything, and only answers with a nod.

Truth be told, he’s still pretty pissed at Amagai for snapping at them all to obey him and listen to his orders. There’s definitely another reason why he’s so insistent that they do this mission, or else he wouldn’t have launched that tirade at them.

“Sergeant, I want to know something, and I want you to tell me the truth,” Renji begins, not even looking at him. “Why did you accept this mission here? Like I said before, you know we’re supposed to be disbanded, right?”

“Like I said, the higher-ups just wanted to see how well we worked together,” Amagai says. “Didn’t we go through this already? Why are you asking me the same question, Abarai?”

“Because there’s something you’re not telling me,” Renji says, now looking at him, his eyes hard. “I wanna know why you’re really making us do this mission, Sarge.”

Amagai looks reluctant, but Renji doesn’t hesitate to continue speaking.

“Just tell me the truth, will you?” he asks. “A sergeant isn’t supposed to be constantly leaving his corporal in charge of everything, you know? And neither is he supposed to disregard the corporal’s advice. He should be honest with everyone in his unit, not just hiding behind excuses.”

Something in Renji’s voice seems to make Amagai relent, and he sighs.

“Fine. You’re right, there is another reason,” Amagai admits. “I simply thought that if this mission went well, I’d finally earn everyone’s respect. That way, when we disband, no one would leave hating me.”

Words leave Renji right in that instant, and he doesn’t know how to even react.

Amagai chose this mission to try and earn the unit’s respect? But that… that makes no sense at all.

However, before Renji can say anything, they hear a voice coming in through their mics.

_ “Sarge? Abarai?” _ It’s Eishima, and his voice sounds somewhat urgent. _ “Something happened here. You should come to the medbay.” _

Renji raises an eyebrow, but he nods. “Got it. On our way,” he says.

He and Amagai leave the office and head back to the crisis treatment ward as quickly as they can. Renji isn’t sure what to expect, but he tries to mentally prepare himself for the worst, just in case.

When they arrive at the ward, Renji finds Eishima waiting at the entrance. Through the window, he sees that the rest of the unit is waiting inside the ward. “What happened?” he asks.

“Come this way,” Eishima says, turning to head inside the ward. “The parasite on that man, well… you might want to see for yourselves.”

Renji follows him inside, and he finds himself being led to where the still-unconscious man is lying on the bed.

And that’s when he notices that the parasite has somehow vanished from his face.

“The parasite suddenly slid off his face a short while ago,” Eishima explains. “We don’t know how it happened, but it just crawled up into the overhead and died. It damn near gave Kotetsu a coronary.” 

“Oh, shut up!” Kotetsu snaps from nearby.

Renji just ignores her. “Where’s the parasite?” he asks.

“It’s right here.” Eishima gestures to the examining table.

Lying in a large petri dish on the table is the parasite. Now that it’s fallen off the man’s face, Renji is able to get a better look at it.

The parasite is incredibly visceral on its underside, and Renji notices some kind of tube extending from its orifice. “That its mouth?”

“Maybe,” Eishima says. “What should we do with it?”

“Destroy it,” Renji tells him. There’s no way they’re bringing that goddamn… _ thing _ back with them.

“We’re bringing it back,” Amagai says decisively.

Renji turns to Amagai, looking at him incredulously. “Look, that thing bled acid. Who the hell knows what it’s gonna do when it’s dead?” he protests.

“That’s my final order. We’re bringing it back for analysis,” Amagai orders, glaring pointedly at Renji. “And I don’t want to hear any complaints. Understood?”

Despite his hesitation, Renji nods. “Fine,” he concedes.

As Eishima starts preparing to seal the parasite away, Renji tries to think of the next plan of action.

“What are we gonna do now?” Kasaki asks.

“Well-”

A sudden groan from the gurney cuts him off.

Turning towards it, Renji notices that the man has woken up. “Wha… What happened…?” the man asks, his voice disoriented.

Eishima immediately helps him out, checking his vitals while Renji approaches him to talk. “Take it easy, alright?” Renji tells the man, hoping to calm him down a bit. “You’re okay, sir.”

The man looks at Renji, confused. “Who are you?” he asks.

“I’m Corporal Abarai, and this is Corporal Eishima. We’re with the Gotei,” Renji explains. “We found you in the medbay here, and we need you to answer some questions for us, alright?”

The man’s eyes dart around the room, looking at everyone, before they settle on the parasite in the petri dish. His eyes widen in horror. “Oh no… oh, God no…”

“Sir? Hey, what happened?” Renji asks, feeling a sudden stab of dread in his gut. “Calm down! What’s going on?”

“Th-There’s no time to explain! Please, you have to kill me right now!” the man begs desperately.

Renji’s eyes widen slightly. _ Kill him? _

“Just calm down!” Eishima tries to reassure him. “It’s gonna be alright, we’re gonna get you outta here!”

“No, you can’t! It’s too late!” The man is hysterical. “That… That thing… when it gets on your face… oh, fuck…”

Suddenly, he starts to cough. Eishima taps his back, but the coughing continues, almost violently.

“What’s going on?” Amagai asks.

Then, without warning, the man starts to convulse, and he falls back on the bed.

“Convulsion! Help me out over here!” Eishima shouts.

Renji is quick, grabbing the man’s arm as Kasaki, Kajomaru, and Amagai gather around him, also trying to hold him still.

The man screams in agony, and it rips at Renji’s insides as he realizes that they cannot hold him down. Whatever has suddenly possessed him is much stronger than they are, and even their strength isn’t enough.

“Eishima! Get an anesthetic!” Renji barks.

“I’m trying!” Eishima shouts back, frantically preparing a syringe.

Everyone is shouting at one another, all while the man screams in such visceral agony. It’s absolute chaos, this unwanted situation.

It’s when something tears at the man’s insides, a smear of blood blossoming on his chest, that they all suddenly freeze.

His heart pounding harder than ever before, Renji stares in horror at the spot of blood on the man’s chest.

_ What the actual fuck? _

Then the man is convulsing again, but this time, all Renji feels is confusion, and a dull, slowly-growing terror within him.

Before he even realizes, he hears the sickening sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing within the man, and his stomach clenches unpleasantly.

And then, in a shower of flesh, blood, and bone, the man’s chest explodes as he’s torn open from the inside, and a vicious, unearthly screech suddenly rings through the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, this chapter is over. I do hope I managed to do the chestburster scene well here, especially since this is the iconic scene from the first movie.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


	4. Clusterfuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After witnessing the birth of a strange creature, Renji and his unit try to track it down, only for things to go downhill fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say, this is quite a bleak story, especially in comparison to the rest of the series. That being said, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, I recommend listening to this chapter while listening to "The Medbay" from the _Alien: Covenant_ soundtrack, it really sets the overall mood for this whole story. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh_o19X5D2g).

Everyone hastily scrambles back from the gurney, watching as the man goes limp, now completely dead, and as a worm-like creature emerges from the man’s bloody chest cavity.

“Oh… Oh my god!” Kotetsu cries out.

Renji still stares in horror at the strange creature, covered in blood and viscera. It has no eyes or limbs; there’s only a small, fanged mouth. It just scans its surroundings, and Renji briefly wonders just how it’s able to see anything.

Kotsubaki moves quickly, grabbing his combat knife and moving towards the creature.

“Whoa, whoa!” Amagai protests, holding him back.

“Don’t touch it!” Eishima warns. “You want its blood to eat through the floor again?!”

Reluctantly, Kotsubaki backs off, his eyes still on the creature.

Suddenly, before anyone can do anything else, the creature lets out another screech, and leaps right out of the man’s corpse, swiftly escaping from the ward into the depths of the station.

A trail of blood and viscera is left in its wake.

For a few moments, everyone just stands there, looking at the trail and back to the man’s bloody corpse on the gurney.

Shishigawara is the first one to break the silence. “What the fuck was that?” he demands, his voice quiet.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Eishima murmurs, covering the man’s corpse with a sheet.

“It was growing in him the whole damn time and he didn’t even know it!” Toudou says.

“You think that parasite thing… planted it inside of him?” Kasaki asks.

“It used him as an incubator of some kind,” Kajomaru adds, profoundly disturbed. “But he somehow knew about it.”

Renji’s stomach sinks. “Then that means there were more of them on here,” he realizes. “He must’ve seen the same thing happen to other people.”

“Then there might be more of them on this station,” Sarugaki points out. “We have to destroy them all!”

Sarugaki’s declaration makes Renji remember his order for Kotsubaki to do a life-detecting sweep on the whole station.

“Kotsubaki,” he says, turning to him. “Any updates on the sweep?”

Kotsubaki grabs his device and looks at it. “Yeah,” he says. “There’s a ton of signals in the reactor maintenance level, right beneath us.”

“Looks like we gotta head down there to investigate now,” Renji says.

“There’s a stairwell that goes straight to the reactor maintenance level,” Kajomaru tells them. “I found it near the dispensary, so we can take that there.”

“Well, let’s get going, people!” Amagai orders. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get outta here.”

With that, Renji and Amagai lead the rest of the unit to the reactor maintenance stairwell near the dispensary. And as they enter into the stairwell, the bad feeling in Renji’s gut just grows stronger than ever.

Renji and Amagai go first, and they lead the way down the dark stairwell. The only light shining is from Amagai’s shoulder lamp, and the only sounds are their footsteps, and the beating pulse of the motion trackers.

As they go down, Renji closes his eyes for a moment, trying to block out the growing dread within him.

He’s had bad feelings before certain missions; namely, before the missions where they’d gotten stuck in dangerous situations and he’d had to pull them out. He’s felt anxious before some missions as well, so it shouldn’t be so new.

However, this time… this kind of dread he’s feeling… there’s no other way to describe it. It’s a very visceral, almost pathological kind of reaction. Renji tries to swallow down the lump in his throat, but it’s a lot harder than he expects.

He suddenly feels very overwhelmed, and he just can’t calm himself down no matter how hard he tries. Going down the stairwell, it also occurs just how trapped he feels right now, and his chest grows somewhat tight with anxiety and worry.

Something horrible is going to happen. He just knows it.

Renji doesn’t know what exactly, but he has a feeling that it’s going to be so much worse than anything he’s experienced before.

He doesn’t know how many flights they’ve gone down already, but at some point, Renji starts to pick up on a change in temperature.

The cold air starts to slowly become warmer and warmer, and Renji feels his skin becoming sweaty as they go further down.

“Getting real hot down here…” Shishigawara grumbles.

Renji just nods in agreement, his mouth feeling dry. Whether it’s from his unease or from the heat, he doesn’t really know.

There’s something about this heat that just really puts Renji on edge right now. It’s hot, stifling, and it’s almost hard to even breathe. 

Or maybe it’s just his nerves.

Renji closes his eyes and tries to take a deep breath to calm down, gripping his rifle tighter. But his anxiety seems to just grow stronger than ever.

It’s when they near the reactor maintenance area when the smell hits them hard. 

There’s no mistaking what the smell is. It’s the stench of death and chaos, of flesh that’s been rotting away.

It’s so foul, so rank, it burns the insides of Renji’s nose and makes his stomach twist slightly. He can actually almost taste the stench in the back of his throat, and he knows that it’ll be several days, weeks, perhaps, before he can get over the smell.

“Oh, god…” Kotsubaki gags, covering his nose. “What’s that smell?”

“Obviously human corpses,” Eishima says, somehow maintaining his composure. “We should’ve brought gas masks with us.”

Renji closes his eyes and swallows, trying not to let the smell get to him. But the further they go, the stronger the smell gets, until it’s almost overpowering them. And the fact that it’s mixed in with this heat… it just makes the smell worse.

_ Just how many corpses are down there anyways? _

Over the years, Renji’s smelled some pretty awful things, including rotting human corpses. However, he’s never smelled over a hundred corpses rotting together.

If he thought the smell of one decomposing body was bad, then this is definitely a thousand times worse.

By the time they reach the reactor area, the stench is so overpowering that it’s a miracle that they can somehow breathe. But all of that takes a backseat when Renji gets a look around him, his stomach sinking again.

“What the hell…?” he whispers.

Encrusted on the walls, ceiling, and around the entrance into the maintenance area is a strange, hard resin. Some parts of it are dripping with some kind of viscous matter, and Renji shudders as he looks at it.

“What is this?” Kajomaru murmurs.

“Looks like something used to make a nest, maybe?” Kotetsu suggests.

“There’s no way that tiny little worm can build all this in a few minutes,” Kasaki says.

“Let’s keep going,” Amagai tells them.

As they make their way towards the maintenance area, the rotting stench continues to linger.

Briefly, Renji remembers the first time he’d seen a rotting corpse in his career with the Gotei.

It had been right out of his basic training. When his first unit was stationed in Kagoshima, there had been an earthquake, and when the tsunami sirens started blaring, they had to assist with evacuating people before the wave hit the coast. For the most part, they’d managed, but when the wave had struck… 

God, that had been a disaster. Renji recalls seeing an entire house get dragged out into the sea, he recalls seeing some people drown back then. And after the wave went away, he recalls seeing bodies in so many places, all in various stages of decomposition… 

As the years passed, Renji has gradually learned to handle himself in death-like environments. But one thing that has never really left him is the smell. God, the smell… the stench of rotting corpses is the worst one ever. It lingers for days, makes you want to throw up, and it stays for a very long time.

But all those times… they have nothing on this mission.

From the corner of his eye, Renji swears he sees a person, and turns to get a look, only for his heart to sink.

_Oh... Oh my god..._ Renji thinks, averting his eyes from the ghastly sight.

“What the fuck…?” Sarugaki whispers, stunned.

Entombed in the hardened resin is a half-rotten human corpse. The face is frozen in an expression of agony, and there is a gaping hole in the middle of the chest.

All around them, they see bodies in similar positions. All of them have holes in their chests, all of their faces etched in pain and agony.

At some point, the unit breaks into smaller groups to investigate, and Renji and Amagai are searching through one part of this… hive, when they come across something sinister.

Several leathery oval things just sit, their flaps unfurled open. Near them, there are piles of the same dead face-grabbing creatures.

It doesn’t take much for Renji to connect the dots. This is the creature’s life cycle, without a doubt.

But whatever that small worm-like thing must’ve grown into… Renji doesn’t even want to think about it. Either way, there is no way that little thing could’ve built this whole damn place.

They need to get out of here right now.

“Amagai,” Renji says, getting his attention. “We need to get everyone out of here. Let’s get off the station and destroy it. There’s no way we can stay here any longer.”

“We need to finish our sweep here, Abarai,” Amagai tells him, his voice somewhat condescending. “Let’s go.”

At this point, Renji’s starting to get a bit pissed off with Amagai’s callousness. 

However, before he can say anything, there’s a loud ultrasound ping from one of the motion trackers.

_ “We got movement over here!”  _ Toudou announces through their headsets.

Renji tenses up. “What’s the position?” he asks, holding his rifle tighter.

_ “They’re all around us!”  _ Sarugaki says.

That’s when Renji hears it: the sound of scratching and clawing against the walls. His face pales.

“Amagai, let’s get outta here right now. I’m serious!” Renji warns.

“Shut up, Abarai!” Amagai hisses at him. “Look sharp, people! Get your weapons ready!”

“We don’t have the firepower to deal with these things, Amagai!” Renji insists, his frustration growing. “We need to get everyone outta here right now, or we’re all gonna die!”

“Abarai, shut up! We can handle this!” Amagai insists.

That’s it. The last thread of Renji’s self-control just snaps, and before he even knows it, Renji finds himself rounding on Amagai.

“Amagai, for once in your fucking life, will you just shut the fuck up, stop being so stubborn, and just actually _listen to me?!”_ Renji demands, his voice almost pleading.

A loud scream from nearby suddenly interrupts him, and Renji’s eyes widen in shock.

“Sarugaki!” Renji shouts, rushing over to her and Kajomaru. “Sarugaki!”

It’s too late. Renji reaches just in time to see a screaming Sarugaki get hauled off the ground and dragged into the shadowy darkness of the ceiling.

_ What… What the hell?! _

Another scream from behind interrupts his thoughts, and Renji turns around, only to freeze in horror.

Kajomaru is staring down in horror at his chest, a large stinger protruding from it. Blood quickly pours from his mouth and from the wound, staining his coveralls, and before Renji can even react, Kajomaru is dragged up to the ceiling by some unknown force.

“What’s going on? Abarai, what the fuck’s going on?!” Shishigawara demands.

“Sarugaki and Kajomaru are down!” Renji shouts.

Suddenly, he hears hissing and screeching all around him, followed by more screams and shouts of panic.

“What’s happening?!”

“They’re comin’ outta the goddamn walls!” Kotsubaki is shouting.

“It’s a goddamn ambush!” Toudou shouts.

Blood drains from Renji’s face as he listens to all the chaos.

_ Get outta here. Get the fuck outta here. _

“Fall back! Everyone, fall back! Let’s get the hell outta here!” Renji shouts into his mic. “Come on!”

As he rushes back to the exit, he hears the occasional burst of gunfire and screeching, but he can’t see a goddamn thing. All he sees are shadows that move; he can’t even see what the hell is attacking them. He hears some screeches around him, and he fires desperately at the sources, not stopping until their screeches stop completely.

Kasaki’s screams are cut short by the sound of bone and flesh tearing, and Renji hears his body collapse to the ground. Panic is rising fast, and when he gets back to Amagai, who is completely frozen in shock, he starts shouting at him.

“Amagai!” Renji shouts, snapping him out of his stunned shock. “Amagai! Call everyone and let’s get the fuck outta here! Come on!”

“Fall back, Marines!” Amagai shouts urgently. “Fall back, come on!”

He suddenly stops calling for them, and then glances down at his left arm. And that’s when Renji notices it.

Dripping down on his arm from above is a thick, viscous substance.

Renji’s eyes widen, his heart pounding hard. “Amagai…?” he whispers, staring at a frozen Amagai.

Amagai’s back suddenly arches as he screams, a stinger bursting through his chest. Blood sprays everywhere, some of it splashing onto Renji, who can only watch helplessly as Amagai is also dragged away.

_ No… oh God, no! _

Tears fill Renji’s eyes, and he tries to blink them away as he speaks into his mic. “Whoever’s alive, please, just get outta there! Just run! Fall back!” he orders desperately.

Finally,  _ finally,  _ he sees the remaining Marines coming his way. Kotsubaki, Kotetsu, Shishigawara, Eishima, and Toudou, they’re all coming.

“Come on! This way, let’s get outta here!” Renji shouts at them as he leads them back to the stairwell.

They all run as quickly as they can, shooting at the shadows that pursue them. Yells of effort and unearthly screeches mix together in a horrendous cacophony as they finally near the exit from the maintenance area.

But just as they near the exit, a shadow near Toudou moves, trying to get to him. And in that moment, Renji gets only a brief glimpse of a hideous grin from the thing.

“Toudou! Watch out!” Shishigawara shouts, swiftly aiming his rifle at the shadow and firing several shots at it.

Whatever the shadowy thing might be is destroyed, but to Renji’s horror, a shower of that pale-yellow acid splashes onto Toudou.

Toudou lets out a soul-shattering scream as the acid eats into him like a hot knife through butter, and reflexively triggers his flamethrower, engulfing himself in a jet of fire.

Kotetsu screams bloody murder at the sight, and Renji just turns away from the horrific scene.

“Go, go, go! Get outta here, we gotta keep going!” he shouts at them, pushing everyone towards the stairwell.

When they enter the stairwell, Renji quickly closes the door behind him, and uses his hand-welder to seal the doors.

“Abarai, what the hell are you doing?!” Kotsubaki demands.

“Sealing the fucking doors! I’ll catch up to you, just get outta here!” Renji shouts back.

Once he’s done sealing the doors, he follows the others up the stairs, out of the stifling heat and the rotting smell, and not once does Renji even slow down. He has to get them all out of there. He has no other choice.

When he finally makes it back to the medical facility level, where everyone else is waiting for him, Renji emerges from the stairwell and shuts the door behind him, sealing it tight with his hand-welder, just in case.

Only once he’s sealed the last part of the door does Renji loosen his muscles. His breathing is heavy, his heart pounding hard and fast, and he slowly comes down from the adrenaline as the situation sinks in.

Nearly half their unit is gone. Renji doesn’t know what the hell ambushed them down there, but whatever it was, he hopes he doesn’t have to see them up-front.

Turning to look at the others, Renji notices that everyone is completely shaken.

Kotetsu is on the verge of tears, Kotsubaki and Shishigawara are jumpy and have their rifles at the ready, and even Eishima is pale and trembling slightly.

“Anyone hurt?” Renji asks, unsure of what else to say.

Shishigawara shakes his head. “Fuck… what the hell were those… those things?” he asks, his voice unusually soft and scared. “Those things just… just wiped us out!”

“How are we gonna get outta here now?” Kotsubaki asks. “Kajomaru and Sarugaki are dead, and none of us can fly the dropship! We’re almost out of ammo, we got no flamethrowers, and we got no motion trackers either!”

Renji closes his eyes, trying to think of a solution.

“We’re fucked…” Kotetsu sobs despairingly. “There’s no way we’re gonna get outta here! We’re all gonna die here!”

“Enough!” Renji snaps at her, his eyes flying open.

Surprisingly, Kotetsu shuts up.

And yet again, it sinks in. Renji’s now in charge, now that Amagai is dead. He knows it, and they all know it.

Sighing slightly, Renji looks at them.

“Look, I know this is a fucked-up situation, but we’re gonna get through this. I swear, we’re not gonna die here. We will find a way off this station, but I need you all to work with me, or else we won't be able to get off. Is that understood?” Renji asks them.

There’s a heavy silence in the air, but everyone nods.

“Alright.” Renji straightens up, trying to compose himself. “Let’s keep moving. That’s all we can do right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the most stressful chapters I've ever written in this whole series, actually. But it was important to try and capture the sheer horror of Iwashiro, since this is where everything begins.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


	5. Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renji and the remainder of his unit try to find a way off this station. Little do they know, things are about to get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 6, complete with more horror and fear of the unknown. For this chapter, particularly the last part, I recommend you listen to this track: "Hunted Hunter" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNAO8YGNNuE).
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The first thing they do is search for extra weapons. They have no flamethrowers on them, since Toudou and Kajomaru are already dead, and the flamethrowers were with them. In addition, they need to find a new motion tracker to use.

It takes a bit of searching, but after a while, they manage to find two trackers in one of the offices in the medical ward, and after a bit more searching, they find two propane flamethrowers to use.

Renji looks over the flamethrower that he’s holding, mentally sighing.

This flamethrower is nowhere near as powerful as the Gotei-issued flamethrowers: those are pure napalm weapons, meant to cause destruction and death and spare absolutely no one. The propane one, on the other hand, is much more industrial-grade, meant for civilian use. It’s definitely not as powerful, and at the most, it might just drive off any of those… things.

But honestly, it’s better than nothing.

“Well, these may be weaker than a napalm flamethrower, but we should still keep them,” Renji tells everyone.

Turning to Eishima, he then asks, “is it working?”.

Eishima frowns as he looks at the screen. “It seems a little weak,” he says. “Might need some fixing up. It’s fine for now, though.”

“Alright, then,” Renji says. Taking a deep breath, he continues.

“Now, we need to get back to comms,” he explains. “If we can power up the communications system, we can enter the coordinates of the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu _ into the system, bring it closer to the station, and then use one of the emergency short-range shuttles to get out of here. That’s our plan right now, and we will get through this, so I don’t want to hear any bitching from anyone, is that clear?” His voice is firm as he asks the question.

There’s no arguments, back-talking, or snappy remarks. Everyone just nods, even Shishigawara, who looks very somber and subdued.

It’s a sharp change from the guy who had been making threats to Kasaki back on the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu. _ Honestly, Renji feels kind of sorry for him.

So Renji speaks again, this time in a gentler voice. “Look, I know this is the last thing any of us have even expected to happen on this mission. I understand how you’re all feeling,” he says. “But if we’re gonna get through this alive, we  _ need _ to work together. We need to cooperate, and we need to stay alert. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Shishigawara says somberly.

“Good. Now then, let’s get to comms and figure out how to get past the lockdown there.”

With that, Renji leads Kotsubaki, Kotetsu, Eishima, and Shishigawara to the exit from the medical facility.

Eishima walks closer to Renji, the motion tracker in his hands.

“How’s that tracker working?” Renji asks, glancing at him.

A frown crosses Eishima’s face. “It’s rather short-range,” he says. “It seems to detect movement based on micro changes in air density. However, it’s quite old-fashioned, since it is from decades ago.”

“How long ago?”

“From the late-2080’s, perhaps mid-2100’s. Even further, this operates similarly to the Gotei motion trackers.” Eishima looks up from the screen. “It’s incapable of differentiating between hostiles and allies, and again, it’s got a limited field of vision.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing, I guess,” Renji concedes.

There’s a moment of silence as they continue walking before it’s broken again by Kotetsu.

“Did… Did anyone get a clear look at… whatever those things were down there?” she asks, her voice soft.

Renji shakes his head. “No… No, I didn’t,” he says, closing his eyes for a moment.

“I don’t think any of us did,” Kotsubaki agrees.

Those hideous, unearthly screeches echo in Renji’s ears as they make their way to the exit of the facility. Just remembering them makes his stomach twist slightly, and whatever little he’s managed to see… well, he doesn’t want to imagine just what the hell those things are.

He remembers seeing what had looked like a leer, and he remembers seeing those stingers impaling through Kajomaru and Amagai, but that’s about it. Those things were nothing but shadows down there, and Renji truly does not want to see them under any lights.

Eventually, they manage to reach the exit. As he stands to the side to let the others leave first, Renji suddenly feels the hairs on the back of his neck rising up.

A chill runs down his spine, and he takes a quick glance behind him.

There’s nothing. Nothing but darkness.

Renji hazards a glance above him at the vent on the ceiling, but again, there’s nothing.

But if that’s the case… why the hell does it feel like there’s something that’s… watching them?

God, it’s just like in a horror movie.

“Abarai? You alright?” Eishima’s voice interrupts Renji’s thoughts.

Turning back, Renji notices that Eishima has a rather concerned look on his face. Likewise, the others are waiting for him.

So Renji just gives them a weak smile. “I’m fine. It’s just…” He shakes his head. “It might be my nerves acting up, but I have a feeling we’re being watched. Just stay on your guard.”

Eishima shrugs. “Alright.”

* * *

They eventually manage to make it to the comms level, all without encountering anything else, to Renji’s mild relief. However, they did notice holes that seem to have come from acid, but other than that, there’s nothing.

For now, at least.

The communications hub is pretty big. There are several control terminals and panels on the main floor, and a large window shows an admittedly-spectacular view of the satellite array outside, as well as the nearby gas giant.

Renji has to admit, it’s quite a pretty view.

But now’s not the time to admire the scenery.

“Kotsubaki, power up the terminals,” Renji tells him.

“Got it.” With his technician kit, Kotsubaki heads over to a generator and pumps the handle three times before pressing the button.

Instantly, the whirring of machinery kicks in as the terminals power up. Lights start coming on, and screens come to life, displaying various statuses and other information. An automated voice comes over the intercom, welcoming visitors to the communications center.

_ “Welcome to Iwashiro Communications. Central-46 employees only.” _

_ Well, they’re all dead anyways. _ Renji thinks bitterly.

“Alright, what do we do now?” he asks, looking at Kotsubaki.

“Now, we…” Kotsubaki trails off, a frown on his face as he reads the screen of the central monitor. “What the…?”

He taps a few keys, only for the screen to go red.

_ “Communications offline. All outgoing communications halted,” _ the intercom announces.

Renji closes his eyes with a sigh. “Well, that’s just great…” he mutters.

“Why the hell are comms shut down?” Shishigawara asks, bewildered. “Who would even do that?”

“Who the hell knows?” Eishima says, frowning down at the tracker while fiddling with some of the controls. “Come on… don’t quit on me now, you stupid- oh, fuck.”

“What happened?” Renji asks him.

“Fucking tracker broke,” Eishima mutters.

_ Well, ain’t that perfect? _ Renji thinks.

“I’m gonna look for some tools to fix it.”

“You’re not going alone,” Renji tells him. “Kotetsu and I will come with you. We’ll help you out.”

Eishima nods. “Alright,” he says.

“Kotsubaki, Shishigawara, you guys stay here,” Renji orders. “And stay on your guard.”

“Got it,” Kotsubaki says.

* * *

Wandering through the empty corridors, Renji keeps his eyes and ears sharp for anything that might be stalking them.

Again, he feels the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, and it’s putting him on edge.

What if one of those things from the reactor maintenance level somehow managed to follow them all the way here? But if that’s the case, why hasn’t it ambushed or attacked them so far?

Renji shudders as he tries to imagine what must’ve happened to all the inhabitants of this station. Whatever took place here… it sounds like a nightmare like nothing else. And no one could even call for help because of comms being shut down…

To be living here, isolated in deep space, far away from any contact with humanity, and with those monsters on the hunt, killing people left and right… 

“It’s all fucked up…” Renji whispers to himself.

“What was that?” Kotetsu asks.

Oh. He just said that out loud.

“It’s nothing,” Renji says, turning around to face her.

That’s when he notices that Eishima isn’t there. “Where’s Eishima?” he asks.

Kotetsu looks around. “He must’ve gone to another room.”

“Shit… we’re supposed to be sticking together! Come on, we need to find him!” Renji urges.

He and Kotetsu bolt from the room back into the hallway. “Eishima? Eishima, where are you?” Renji asks urgently into his mic.

After a few moments, Eishima answers.  _ “I’m in a backroom, near the break area.” _

“We’re supposed to be sticking together, goddammit! Why’d you do that?!” Renji demands.

_ “That room didn’t have tools, but I found them,” _ Eishima says.

“Alright. We’re on our way,” Renji tells him. “Abarai out.”

Renji and Kotetsu rush to the back room where Eishima said he’s at. Sure enough, they see him through the doorway, holding a toolbox.

But as they get closer, they notice Eishima turn around and freeze in place. For a moment, Renji doesn’t know what Eishima is looking at.

And then he hears a visceral hissing. He can’t see the source; it’s hidden too well in the shadows, but Renji has an idea as to what it is.

He and Kotetsu run faster, but they’re too late.

Eishima screams as something punctures his skull, and then he’s hauled up into the ceiling, the toolbox crashing to the ground.

And in that moment, Renji gets a glimpse of a skeletal tail disappearing up into the ceiling.

Renji and Kotetsu slowly enter the room, staring up at the ceiling in horror.

“Eishima!” Renji calls out, his voice anxious.

There’s no answer. 

Blood drips down from the ceiling vent.

“Eishima!” Kotetsu cries out.

* * *

The atmosphere is tense. Renji, Kotetsu, Shishigawara, and Kotsubaki sit around a table in comms, a heavy silence hanging over them.

“I didn’t see much of it, but whatever it was… it was huge,” Renji tells them. “It grabbed Eishima like he was nothing… just dragged him up into the vents.”

“You mean to tell me one of those things came up from the reactor maintenance? And now it’s hunting us down?” Shishigawara demands.

“Exactly,” Renji says. “It’s using the vents to get around this place. And unless we do something about it, it’ll hunt us all down.”

Kotsubaki finishes up with fixing the tracker, and sets the tools down. “So what do we do now?” he asks.

“We kill it,” Renji decides. “But we can’t use the pulse rifle; its blood will damage the whole place. So maybe we should use the vents too. We use the vents, drive that fucker into an airlock, and blow it out into space.”

“Well, where’s the nearest airlock?” Kotetsu asks.

Kotsubaki powers up a map screen, and they all gather around it.

“The nearest airlock is right here,” Kotsubaki says, pointing to a spot down the hallway of the comms level. “The vent network here leads to this airlock. There’s an exit right here, but we can close that off.”

Glancing down at the map, Renji nods. “Alright. So one of us crawls into the vent with the flamethrower, find our way through the maze, and hope that this thing will be strong enough to drive it off.”

“So who’s going?” Kotsubaki asks.

“I’ll go,” Renji decides. It’s his duty, after all.

But to his surprise, Shishigawara stands up. “No. I’ll do it,” he says, looking determined.

Renji blinks. “Are you sure?” he asks.

“Consider this an apology for being such a jackass towards you,” Shishigawara tells him. “I’ll chase that motherfucker into the airlock.”

Honestly, Renji doesn’t know what to say to this. He wants to smile, but he just can’t bring himself to do so.

So he just nods slowly. “Thanks,” he says. “Alright, then I’ll take the airlock. Kotsubaki, Kotetsu, you cover the exit.”

With that, he straightens up. “Now, let’s get moving,” he says.

Hopefully this plan works.

* * *

When he reaches the vestibule that leads into the airlock, Renji peers through the bulkhead door. After a moment, he then flips a switch, and watches as the vent entrance in the airlock opens up.

“Shishigawara? The airlock vent is open,” Renji says into his mic.

_ “I’m at the first junction,” _ Shishigawara says.

“I’m right by the airlock,” Renji tells him.

_ “Kotsubaki? Kotetsu?” _

_ “We’re in position here. I’m just trying to get a reading on you,” _ Kotetsu responds.

“The airlock doors are primed,” Renji adds. “You ready?”

_ “Ready. I’m closing the vent behind me.” _

Renji nods, looking down at the second motion tracker. So far, there’s nothing.

_ “Alright, I’ve got a reading on you now,”  _ Kotetsu says to Shishigawara.

Silence falls over everyone, and Renji tries to take a deep breath to calm down as he waits for Shishigawara to speak again.

A short while later, he speaks.  _ “Open the hatch to the third junction.” _

There’s another pause as Shishigawara crawls into the third junction, and then his voice comes through on Renji’s headset.  _ “Abarai? Close all the vents behind me,” _ he says.

Renji blinks in surprise. Did he hear him right? If he dies…

_ “I’m moving on.” _

With a grim nod, Renji hits a switch, closing off all the vents behind Shishigawara.

Right then, Kotetsu speaks.  _ “Shishigawara, hold on a minute, I… I think I got it. Yes, I’ve got it.” _

Distantly, Renji hears the beeping of Kotetsu’s motion tracker.

_ “Where?” _ Shishigawara asks.

There’s a brief pause.

_ “Somewhere around the third junction,” _ Kotetsu tells him.

Renji feels himself tensing up as he listens to this. Kotetsu continues guiding him, and he can occasionally hear the jets of fire of the flamethrower, but nothing else.

It’s when Shishigawara has reached the third junction and goes down that Kotetsu speaks again.  _ “Shishigawara? You’re gonna have to hold your position for a moment, I… I’ve lost the signal,”  _ she tells him.

Renji raises an eyebrow.

_ “What? You sure?” _

_ “Just look around, are you sure it’s not there? It’s gotta be around there.” _

There’s a brief pause, and that uneasiness comes back within Renji.

_ “You sure you’re not gettin’ any interference?” _ Shishigawara asks.

_ “Are you sure there’s no sign of it? I mean, it is there. It’s gotta be around there,” _ Kotetsu insists, her voice trembling slightly.

Again, Renji hears the flamethrower in the vents. “Shishigawara?” he asks.

At this point, he also hears Shishigawara’s heavy breathing.

Another pause.

_ “Uh, am I clear, Kotetsu? I really wanna get the hell outta here,”  _ Shishigawara asks, his voice tense.

Right then, Renji hears the rapid beeping of Kotetsu’s tracker. He tenses up.

_ “Oh, god… it’s moving right towards you!” _ Kotetsu panics.

Renji’s eyes widen slightly. Ice forms in his stomach.

_ What are you doing in there, Shishigawara?! Get outta there now! _ Renji thinks, his mind racing.

This is bad. This is not what he wanted to happen. Oh, god… please, just let Shishigawara get out of there right now!

_ “Move! Get outta there!” _ Kotetsu begs tearfully.  _ “What are you doing?! Move! Just get outta there, Shishigawara! Please, just-- no, not that way, the other way! Oh, God!” _

A shrill, piercing scream rips through the headset and through Renji’s ears, and he startles for a moment. And then, there’s silence.

“Shishigawara?” Renji calls, desperate for an answer.

There’s no response. His heart sinks.

On the other end, he hears Kotetsu sobbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I made myself very tense when writing this chapter, because I rewatched Brett and Dallas' death scenes when writing it. And yes, Eishima's death is a shout-out to Brett's death scene, and Shishigawara's is a shout-out to Dallas' death scene.
> 
> I do hope I managed to nail it.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


	6. Last Survivor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes to hell, but finally, Renji escapes the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: the last chapter of this story, with some of Kiyone's perspective as well. It's quite long, but I hope everyone is able to enjoy it.
> 
> Trigger warning for heavily-implied rape.

Renji’s hands are trembling slightly as he sets the propane flamethrower down on the table in comms. No matter how hard he tries to keep calm, it’s become a real challenge right now.

They’d tried to contact Shishigawara again, to no avail. Renji had gone into the vent shaft to find him, but that failed too. All he’d found was the flamethrower.

“I found this laying there. In the vents,” Renji tells them, his voice low. “There was no blood. No sign of Shishigawara. Absolutely nothing.”

Kotsubaki is tense, clearly on the verge of snapping. Kotetsu’s eyes are red and teary, and she sniffles every now and then.

Guilt settles into Renji’s gut like ice. His chest feels tighter, and a lump forms in his throat. Shishigawara may have been a total asshole to him, but really, he didn’t deserve to die. Not like this.

Same with Amagai. He may not have been the best sergeant ever, but that doesn’t mean he deserved to be taken away by those monsters.

_ I should’ve gone into the vents. _ Renji thinks bitterly.  _ Now Shishigawara is dead… and it’s all my fault. _

Closing his eyes, a shaky sigh spills from Renji’s lips as he desperately tries to maintain his composure. Every single emotion he’s kept bottled up these past two years are threatening to spill out, and his nerves have been stretched well beyond their limits.

This mission has gone way out of hand; it’s not even a mission anymore. This… it’s all a complete clusterfuck now. 

He hates it, he hates it so much. Renji had wanted to keep the remainder of his unit alive, and now there’s only three of them left. Three of them against whatever monster is hunting them down.

Renji’s pulled his unit out of tough situations in the past, but this… this is well beyond anything that he’s prepared for. Never has he felt so weak, so helpless and powerless until now.

No, he can’t let himself think like this. He has to keep going; he can do this. He  _ will _ get everyone off this station alive. He can’t let anyone else die now.

“What are we gonna do now?” Kotsubaki asks tersely.

“We go back to our original plan,” Renji decides, composing himself. “We try and lift the block on comms, enter the coordinates of the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu, _ get it closer to the station, and then activate the self-destruct system. Then, we take one of the emergency shuttles back to the ship.”

“But what about the creature?” Kotetsu asks, her voice tearful. “What if it comes back and kills us while we’re fixing up the comms?”

“I’ll stand guard,” Renji tells her firmly. “We’ll lock every door and vent here, and I’ll keep an eye out, alright?”

Looking at them both firmly and gently, he continues. “We will get out of here. I promise you. But we have to work hard, and work quickly. Got it?” he asks them.

Kotsubaki nods grimly. “Alright,” he says. “Let’s do this.”

Getting up from the table, Kotsubaki takes his tech kit with him as he makes his way over to the central terminal. Kotetsu follows him to help, and Renji makes his way to the door mechanism to shut off all access into comms.

After flipping a few switches, every door and vent shaft is shut off, and there is no possible way for the monster to come in here. Now that that’s been taken care of, Renji then starts a patrol around the room after refueling the flamethrower. Every now and then, he also keeps an eye on the motion tracker, just to make sure the creature hasn’t decided to park itself outside comms.

Silence hangs in the air, and Renji tries to think of other things in order to maintain his calm. Before he realizes, his thoughts wander to the creature that’s hunting them.

Just what the hell is that creature anyways? Just where did it even come from, and how come Renji has not heard anything about it until now?

Even more… why does it seem like only one of those things is hunting them? Clearly, there are a lot of them, especially down in the reactor maintenance level. Is this particular creature hunting for food? Or for the rest of its hive?

To be frank, there’s something about the creature that is deeply unsettling. Renji hasn’t even gotten a clear look at it; all he’s seen are brief glimpses of its tail, and of a hideous, leering grin. 

It’s almost as if those things have evolved to blend in so well into a dark, mechanical environment like this.

Just thinking about that makes Renji shudder. 

Even more, these creatures are so much stronger than expected. The fact that they can just somehow nearly decimate almost an entire unit of Marines is just absolutely disturbing. And if an inexperienced unit doesn’t stand a chance against these things… Renji hates to imagine how a more properly-equipped, experienced unit would hold up in this kind of a clusterfuck.

Trying to calm himself down, Renji finds himself recalling memories of youthful, innocent dreams from a childhood that seems to be almost a lifetime ago.

Back then, he’d always yearned to explore space, to travel amongst the stars, see new planets, and maybe even discover a new planet to call home. 

Growing up in Inuzuri hadn’t been easy, and he and Rukia often dreamed of seeking out a new world for the sake of having a better life. That had been one of their favourite games to play together: ‘Space Explorers’.

Pretending to be adventurers travelling through space, discovering new worlds, and fighting imaginary aliens… it feels like a dream.

From all those old movies and TV shows he’d seen, Renji had believed travelling through space to be an exciting adventure. And indeed, the first time had been quite fascinating, especially when he’d gone to planets like Luna. Of course, the more he went to Luna and other planets close to Earth, the more routine it had become.

But until now, Renji had thought that deep-space travel would truly be an adventure. He’d never thought that deep space could truly be terrifying.

Honestly, when he was younger, Renji had believed aliens and extraterrestrial creatures to be somewhat silly, especially from those 20th century B-movies. In addition, whatever extraterrestrial species he has heard about, those that have been brought back to Earth for studying, have been relatively harmless.

But alien creatures that are vicious and predatory? Creatures that instill the most primal fear in humans? Renji has never imagined that such things could exist.

He might not have seen these creatures up front, but Renji knows that these things absolutely  _ cannot _ come to Earth. If even one of them ends up on Earth somehow… God, he doesn’t even want to imagine what could happen.

He cannot let these things get back to Earth. He  _ will not _ let it happen.

“Abarai.” Kotsubaki’s voice interrupts Renji’s thoughts.

Glancing over, Renji sees that the screen of the central terminal is now green.

“What is it?” he asks.

“I managed to hack past the lockdown,” Kotsubaki says, a hint of pride showing on his face. “But we gotta hurry before it somehow shuts down again.”

“Alright.” Renji hurries over to the terminal.

On the screen is a navigational program, with a bar for entering coordinates into. Remembering the coordinates of the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu, _ Renji enters them into the terminal, and then hits the larger key for confirmation.

Right then, on the satellite array outside, the largest one starts to turn, causing a loud mechanical whir to be heard even inside the station.

Renji watches, almost amazed, at the sight of the huge satellite dish moving into position, but at the same time, he wonders if the creature can hear it. Hazarding a glance at the motion tracker, he’s relieved to see that it’s not there.

“That’s a big-ass dish,” Kotsubaki mutters as he watches it adjust.

“You think it’ll work?” Kotetsu asks.

“It has to,” Renji says firmly.

A few moments later, to Renji’s relief, he sees the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu _ approaching the station. Coming around from the other side of the gas giant, the large ship is slowly moving closer in view.

“Alright. Let’s blow up this station,” Renji tells them.

“How are we gonna take the shuttle? None of us know how to pilot things,” Kotsubaki points out.

“You just enter the coordinates into the dash, and it’ll take you there,” Renji explains. “The shuttle will be kind of small, but it doesn’t matter. It’ll help us get to the ship, so it’s good enough.”

“And where’s the self-destruction system?” Kotetsu asks.

“It’s in the operations center, on the level above,” Renji tells them. “The emergency shuttles are two levels below us. Kotsubaki, Kotetsu, you two get the self-destruction system activated. I’ll go and prep the shuttle. I want you two to keep your eyes out, and stay frosty, alright? Keep the flamethrower close, and conserve whatever ammo you have.”

Kotsubaki nods. “You got it,” he says.

With that, Renji straightens up. “Alright, let’s do this now.”

After lifting the locks on the doors, he turns back to Kotsubaki and Kotetsu. “Look out for each other, alright?” A smile briefly tugs at his lips. “We will get outta here.”

* * *

Kotetsu will never admit it out loud, but right now, she feels a lot safer with Kotsubaki with her, even though they’ve never gotten along before. Sure, she’s a Marine, and she should be able to handle herself in combat and tough situations, but this is beyond anything she’s trained for.

It’s been less than twenty-four hours since they reached this station, and almost everyone in her unit is dead. Abarai has been desperately trying to keep a level head throughout this whole clusterfuck, and Kotetsu finds herself developing a newfound respect for him.

The operations room is just as dark and cold as the rest of the station, and the self-destruct system is hidden among a whole ton of heavy equipment. But it doesn’t stop her from working like a woman possessed.

Kotsubaki mumbles something about staying sharp and moving quicker. Just like her, he’s also very nervous and on edge, but it’s a good thing. It means that he’s ready for anything, and he’ll react the moment something appears out of place.

Kotetsu throws various things out of the way of the self-destruct panel, all while Kotsubaki tries searching for the priming mechanism. She doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings, almost letting her panic and fear overtake her.

But then, there’s something moving in the corner of her eyes. Kotetsu falters, feeling a sudden chill down her spine, and she slowly, carefully turns around.

Without a word, the creature is just there, waiting and biding its time.

Kotetsu’s eyes widen as she stares at it, and she’s unable to comprehend this horrible twist of events. 

And then it moves towards her, crawling in an almost  _ curious _ manner. But Kotetsu can’t do anything; she’s absolutely frozen in place.

Kotsubaki is shouting at her now. “Get outta the way! Get outta the way, Kotetsu! It’s gonna kill us!” he yells at her.

When Kotetsu responds, she can’t even recognize her own voice. “I… I can’t!” she whimpers.

“Kotetsu, for chrissakes, get outta the way!”

Now she’s hearing Abarai speaking to her through her headset, but she can’t hear him. All she can hear is the sound of her blood rushing through her ears as she watches the creature slowly rise up right before her.

Its approach is slow and silent, but now that it is standing, it casts a shadow upon her. It’s tall, so unbelievably tall, and Kotetsu feels her courage and anger just fading away. Her heart sinks into her feet, and she feels trapped.

Kotsubaki’s voice sounds scared now, and he’s desperately trying to get her out of the way so he can shoot it with the flamethrower, but nothing pierces through the fog in her mind. Tears slide down her cheeks, and she starts to cry, her sobs ugly and distorted.

This creature… it awakens the most primal fear within her. An instinct ingrained in humans since the dawn of mankind.

But why can’t she run away? Why can’t she even move?

Kotsubaki lunges towards the creature, ready to throw a hook at it, but the thing is much faster. It turns and knocks him back with its tail, and then goes after him.

Yet Kotetsu still can’t move. All she can do is watch, completely horrified, as the creature goes after Kotsubaki, pinning him to the wall.

Kotsubaki struggles against the creature, but it’s futile. He’s screaming, and there’s something so visceral and agonized in his voice, and yet Kotetsu  _ still can’t fucking move. _

“Get outta the room-!” Kotsubaki screams at her one final time as the creature opens its mouth.

Then, something shoots out from inside its mouth, plunging into Kotsubaki’s skull. All she sees is blood, all she hears is the sound of bones shattering, and then Kotsubaki’s dead body slumps to the floor.

And then it turns back to her, transfixing her with its eyeless glare. Kotetsu is still frozen like a deer in the headlights as it glides almost gracefully towards her, and then she starts to tremble and sob.

It is pure, unremitting evil, and yet there’s something so disturbingly human about its form. Its mouth is still stretched in the most hideous grin, secreting viscous saliva as it continues its advance, yet for some reason, not killing her.

Right then, Kotetsu feels it.

Something is sliding up in between her legs; it’s sharp and unnatural and it tears through her pants and keeps on going higher and higher until--

A scream tears from her lips, and she doesn’t even recognize her own voice. The excruciating agony shoots through her body, blocking out every other sensation, almost blinding her.

The creature’s tail is so sharp, it’s practically tearing her apart from the inside. Kotetsu can feel the creature’s eyeless gaze upon her, feel the blood dripping from between her legs, and a stark terror, the realization that she’s going to die, runs through her mind. Her screams are mixed with pain and fervour, and Kotetsu feels tears sliding down her face.

It hurts, it hurts so much, she just wants it to be over already.

Then, among the pain, she feels it. It’s distant, but she recognizes it with horror. She’s close, so close. She knows it, the creature knows it, and there’s nothing she can do.

Her body spasms as the most blood-curdling shriek escapes her lips, and a tearing sensation spreads through her body as her vision goes completely black.

* * *

Renji’s blood runs cold in the silence that hangs in the air. His footsteps are quiet as he approaches Operations, and he can still hear Kotetsu’s screams lingering in his ears. He desperately doesn’t want to assume the worst, but the closer he gets, the more it becomes obvious.

“Kotsubaki? Kotetsu?” Renji calls, his voice soft and wavering as he nears the doorway.

Cautiously, he peers inside.

Almost instantly, he recoils, a shudder running down his spine.

Kotsubaki’s body is slumped over, a bloody, mangled hole right in his face. Blood is splattered around him, and the flamethrower lies near his limp hand.

_ Oh… Oh, fuck… _

Not too far from him is Kotetsu, her body lying atop some crates. Her pants are torn, and there’s blood spilling from between her legs. Her face is stained with tears, and blood spills from her mouth.

Swallowing, Renji closes his eyes and turns away from the sight. “My god…” he whispers.

His chest feels tight, and he feels a lump in his throat. Tears fill his eyes, but Renji blinks them away, trying to regain his composure.

And that’s when he realizes that he still doesn’t even know what this creature looks like. He’s all alone on this cold, dark station, trapped with a creature he still hasn’t even seen, but that has already killed his entire unit.

But Renji forces himself to move. Opening his eyes, he marches towards the mechanism to prime the self-destruct system, trying to be quick, yet quiet.

He refuses to die here. He  _ will not _ let that fucking monster kill him.

An alarm starts to buzz, signalling that the self-destruct system has been primed. A light shines from a panel on the other side, and Renji hurries to the panel, all while keeping an eye on the doorway.

Opening up the panel, Renji quickly reads through the instructions, trying to maintain his sense of calm so he can understand them properly. Once this system is activated, he has five minutes to get the hell outta this station, or else it’ll be destroyed.

Taking the first bolt, he hurriedly screws it into the top of the collapsible metal tower on the top left and pulls it up. Renji’s eyes dart to the door and back to the panel anxiously, praying that the monster won’t get to him as he flips the switch inside the tower.

As the first one starts to rise upwards, he moves on to the tower on the bottom left, frantically screwing the bolt into it and pulling it up before flipping the switch inside.

He works like a madman on the last two towers, and when he finally flips the switch of the last one, he hears the sound of steam blasting into the station. Then, an announcement starts up, right as an alarm starts blaring.

_ “Danger. The emergency destruct system is now activated. The station will detonate in T-minus… five minutes.” _

Getting up, Renji bolts out of the operations room, flamethrower and tracker in hand as he desperately runs into the steam-filled corridor to make his way to the shuttle. His heart is racing, and adrenaline pumps through his veins.

He’s not going to let that vile monster get to him. He refuses to die tonight. He cannot let this thing get to Earth, he cannot let it catch him, and he will not give up so easily.

As he climbs down the ladder to the level beneath, Renji notices the air suddenly getting hotter and drier, and his skin crawls. It’s exactly what he felt before they’d gone down to the reactor maintenance.

When he gets off the ladder, Renji notices that the same resin from the reactor maintenance level is now encrusted on the walls here, and his stomach drops. For a moment, he thinks that he’s somehow back in that nightmarish nest again, but… no. He’s not.

The resin isn’t completely covering the walls, which means that it’s newer. By now, the alarms have become rather distant as Renji slowly, carefully makes his way through the dark corridor.

Right then, he hears a soft moan of pain behind him, and whirls around, expecting to be met with the creature.

Instead, he’s face-to-face with Shishigawara.

Renji stares, his skin crawling as he takes in the sight before him.

Shishigawara is cocooned in the wall, but his legs… they seem to be almost encrusted with some kind of resin. No… it’s as if his legs have somehow turned into the resin.

“Shishi… gawara…?” Renji whispers.

“Kill… me…” Shishigawara begs, his voice agonized.

And that’s when Renji notices another familiar figure next to Shishigawara.

It’s Amagai, also cocooned into the wall. However, his face is covered by that same spider-like creature that they’d found on that man.

“Oh… Oh my god…” Renji shudders.

“Kill… me…!” Now, Shishigawara’s voice sounds desperate.

Renji swallows, and tears fill his eyes. But he has no other choice.

Aiming the flamethrower at Shishigawara, he pulls the trigger.

A jet of fire blasts out at him, engulfing him in flames. Renji then aims the fire at Amagai, sparing him from a gruesome, humiliating death as well.

When it’s over, Renji finds himself blinking back tears for a moment. 

_ “The station will detonate in T-minus… three minutes.” _

His face hardens.

He has to keep going now.

* * *

Rushing to the shuttle, Renji is on high-alert. The alarms are blaring, steam is pouring into the corridors, and he can’t stop looking behind him every now and then, sometimes even shooting a few blasts of fire from the flamethrower, just in case that thing is chasing him.

He’s never felt so terrified in his life before, and his whole damn body hurts. But Renji doesn’t stop, and he won’t stop until he reaches the shuttle.

Finally,  _ finally, _ he reaches the shuttle. Speeding up, Renji gets inside and slams the button to shut the door before he rushes to the controls.

Hastily, he enters the coordinates of the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu _ into the panel, and then pushes the lever to launch from the station.

The shuttle is launched from its dock, and starts to pick up in speed, right as the countdown reaches thirty seconds.

Renji’s whole body is tense as he straps himself into his seat. He listens to the countdown with rising anxiety. 

_ “Ten seconds. Nine, eight, seven…” _

He watches as the shuttle speeds away from the station’s mechanical structure until only the starry landscape of space is in the view of the windows.

_ “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” _

He’s a good distance away from the station when it blows up in a large fireball, pieces of metal flying in all directions.

For a moment, the shuttle is hit by the shockwave of the blast, and it jolts and rattles everything within. Sitting tight, Renji closes his eyes as he waits out the impact.

And then, everything goes quiet.

Carefully, Renji relaxes his body as exhaustion hits him hard. “I got you…” he whispers. “You sons of bitches…”

Slowly, he unstraps himself from the seat, and moves to the control panel to open up the ship’s airlock. It’s away from the main panel, for some reason, but it doesn’t matter right now.

As he moves closer to the panel, Renji reaches out to press the keys to remotely open the airlock.

Suddenly, a skeletal, muted-black hand shoots out at him from  _ the wall. _

Yelping slightly, Renji scrambles back, staring in horror as he realizes that the fucking creature is  _ inside the shuttle with him. _

It’s blended into the wall so well, he hadn’t even noticed until now.

For a moment, Renji expects it to climb down and kill him. 

But it doesn’t. Instead, it settles back into place.

Renji’s eyes widen slightly, and ice forms in his stomach as the unsettling fact hits him hard.

This kind of behaviour… it’s not at all consistent with that of an apex predator. A tiger or bear is not going to just  _ ignore _ an intruder in its den; it’ll attack immediately. But this creature… it seems to be toying with him.

It knows that there’s nowhere else to run. So it’s just going to leave Renji alone until it gets either hungry… or bored.

He can’t let that happen. He needs to get it out of here.

Slowly, carefully, Renji backs up to a closet that contains a white spacesuit and a harpoon gun. He keeps his eyes on the creature, noticing its elongated, cylindrical head, its eyeless face, its sharp teeth and biomechanical frame.

It’s so fucking… unearthly. He’s never seen anything like it before.

The creature opens its mouth, and to Renji’s shock, an inner mouth slowly extends outwards. He sees a few stains of blood on it, shortly before it retracts into the larger mouth.

Renji’s breath is steady as he climbs into the spacesuit. Once it’s on him, he slowly reaches for the helmet, putting it over his head and securing it in place. Finally, he turns on the oxygen valve, and the suit fills itself with a hiss.

With the harpoon gun in hand, Renji slowly steps out of the closet, making his way to the controls near the door.

The creature still doesn’t move, and Renji finds himself feeling more and more afraid by the minute.

“You… are my lucky star…” Renji whispers to himself as he presses a lever for the steam valve. “Lucky… lucky… lucky star…”

Steam blasts into the creature’s hiding spot, and it screeches in anger as it’s forced out of its corner. Lights are flashing, creating a strobe-light effect, and the creature continues screeching in that disturbingly inhuman way.

“You are… my lucky, lucky… lucky star…” Renji continues, his heart beating faster, his voice more desperate as he watches the alien rise up to its full height.

It’s tall, so much taller than he expected. It practically towers over him, and it is  _ pissed. _

Hissing, the creature moves towards Renji, ready to grab him, but Renji is faster. Adrenaline rushes through him as he flips the lever for the door.

The door opens up, and the creature is sucked out. It tries to grab the doorframe, but Renji shoots the harpoon at it, forcing it out into space right before the door slams shut.

Hearing a loud bang on the outside, Renji peers out the window, only to see that the creature has hooked its tail onto the exhaust pipe.

_ Oh no, you don’t. _

Rushing back to the controls, Renji then slams down on the ‘accelerate’ button.

Flames shoot out from the engines, and he watches the creature screech as it’s incinerated by the fire right before being completely jettisoned into the black void of space.

A wave of relief washes over Renji, and he closes his eyes.

Finally, it’s all over now.

* * *

When the shuttle finally enters the  _ Kyoka Suigetsu, _ Renji waits as the engines power down. He may have shot the creature out of the shuttle, but there’s a nagging voice in the back of his mind that’s telling him to take another look.

Holding the flamethrower close, he cautiously climbs out of the shuttle into the drop bay, and makes his way to the rear of the shuttle.

There’s nothing. The creature is gone.

_ And so is my entire unit. _

That thought hits Renji hard, and he quickly realizes just how vulnerable he is right now, all alone in this huge starship.

Whatever victory he’d felt after getting rid of the monster vanishes, and a sudden weight settles on his shoulders. His body is sore, and Renji becomes quite aware of how grimy he feels.

“I need a shower…” he mumbles to himself.

After putting away his armour, Renji makes his way to the shower facility, loosening his hair from its ponytail. In his hands, he holds a pulse rifle, just to make sure he’s safer as he strips down from his fatigues.

No doubt, these things can’t be worn again, not after being around the stench of rotting bodies. So Renji throws them into the nearby incinerator, and then steps into a cubicle, turning the water to hot.

Instantly, Renji is soaked with hot water from the spray, and he just stands there for a moment before he starts cleaning himself off with soap and shampoo. Every single part of his body is sore from the tension, and he ends up washing his hair out twice, just to get rid of that grimy feeling.

Once he feels cleaner and more human, Renji changes into fresh underwear, along with sleep shorts, and then ties his slightly damp hair into a braid before he heads down to the bridge to make his report and send the transmission.

When he reaches the bridge, he steps up to the control panel and puts on a headset. Aligning the mic to his mouth, Renji notices just how tired his voice sounds as he starts speaking.

“Final report of Sergeant Amagai’s unit aboard the troop transport ship  _ Kyoka Suigetsu. _ Corporal Abarai reporting,” Renji begins. His heart begins to feel heavy.

“The other members of the unit: Sarugaki, Kajomaru, Kasaki, Toudou, Eishima, Shishigawara, Kotsubaki, Kotetsu, and Sergeant Amagai… are dead. Dropship and Iwashiro Space Station destroyed. I should reach Gateway in about three weeks. If I’m lucky, I might get there sooner.”

He pauses briefly, then finishes up. “This is Abarai, last survivor of Amagai’s unit… signing off.”

With that, he shuts off the transmission and removes the headset. Entering the coordinates for Gateway, he then prepares the cryosleep controls before heading down to the cryo chamber.

Staring at the empty pods, Renji can’t help but smile bitterly.

To think that everyone has been killed in less than twenty-four hours already…

Wearily, Renji climbs into the cryopod, and exhaustion washes over him as the lid closes down over him. As the lights turn off, cold starts to wash over him, and he closes his eyes.

His last thoughts are pleas for no dreams, and then he succumbs to cryosleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, "Nightmare of the Soul" is over. Next up is the second prequel instalment, "Kintsukuroi", which deals with the aftermath of Iwashiro, and that will be the last instalment of this series.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


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